I am very unhappy...

[dbhost]

With my workbench. It looks nice, but as you may remember, I turned my brain off on materials selection and used Cedar for the base... So I have literally gone back to the drawing board, and building on what I know has worked for me in the past...

#1. SYP. It's heavy, inexpensive, and will give before more expensive workpieces will So when banging on a nice piece of figured maple, the SYP will dent first. That to me is a desireable feature of a bench top. I have some cut down SYP 2x12s sitting in my racks aging and waiting for the moisture content to equalize. I am planning on using this to build my top.

#2. 4x4s in SYP are basically impossible to find near me that aren't split, warped or otherwise trashed. So the FWW base design poses me some trouble. But I DO like the footprint. And I have some options...
#2A. Laminate 2x4s to create 4x4s.
#2B. Pick a different base design. This would give me a chance to go with something that offers more storage, and gets away from the threaded rods that like to come loose even with loctite.
I am going with #2B.

#3. My shop is still a nightmare in storage. What ever base design I use, MUST offer plentiful storage.

#4. The current top depth of 24" makes good use of a sheet of plywood, but it is awfully shallow. I would be MUCH happier with a 30" - 36" deep top.

So with those factors in mind. I hit sketchup.... Now for the big questions...

What size top would you consider ideal? I am pretty set on a 6' length as it clears my SMT, and goes all the way to the end of the wide table giving me a nice long work surface. But depth is more my question here...

Face AND tail vise, or just face?

How would you go about arranging storage on the base? An open shelf? Enclose that shelf? An actual cabinet instead? What about drawers? This is where the handheld routing work takes place and close to the router table, would it make sense to provide router accessory storage here?

[Mr__Bill]

How would you go about arranging storage on the base? An open shelf? Enclose that shelf? An actual cabinet instead? What about drawers? This is where the handheld routing work takes place and close to the router table, would it make sense to provide router accessory storage here?

I would store under the bench the tools I often used at the bench and for me I would put in a shelf just under the top and drawers for the rest of it. But, then.... it's also a good sized space and if you have a need that is not filled elsewhere to store something bulky you may wish to make one side drawers and the other side configured to hold the bulky item/s.

Bill
on the wet coast today

[Cochese]

With my workbench. It looks nice, but as you may remember, I turned my brain off on materials selection and used Cedar for the base... So I have literally gone back to the drawing board, and building on what I know has worked for me in the past...

#1. SYP. It's heavy, inexpensive, and will give before more expensive workpieces will So when banging on a nice piece of figured maple, the SYP will dent first. That to me is a desireable feature of a bench top. I have some cut down SYP 2x12s sitting in my racks aging and waiting for the moisture content to equalize. I am planning on using this to build my top.

#2. 4x4s in SYP are basically impossible to find near me that aren't split, warped or otherwise trashed. So the FWW base design poses me some trouble. But I DO like the footprint. And I have some options...
#2A. Laminate 2x4s to create 4x4s.
#2B. Pick a different base design. This would give me a chance to go with something that offers more storage, and gets away from the threaded rods that like to come loose even with loctite.
I am going with #2B.

#3. My shop is still a nightmare in storage. What ever base design I use, MUST offer plentiful storage.

#4. The current top depth of 24" makes good use of a sheet of plywood, but it is awfully shallow. I would be MUCH happier with a 30" - 36" deep top.

So with those factors in mind. I hit sketchup.... Now for the big questions...

What size top would you consider ideal? I am pretty set on a 6' length as it clears my SMT, and goes all the way to the end of the wide table giving me a nice long work surface. But depth is more my question here...

Face AND tail vise, or just face?

How would you go about arranging storage on the base? An open shelf? Enclose that shelf? An actual cabinet instead? What about drawers? This is where the handheld routing work takes place and close to the router table, would it make sense to provide router accessory storage here?

1) If you've got it, go for it. Otherwise I'll be making mine out of Douglas Fir as the local HDs sell those.

2) Shouldn't have a problem laminating the 2x4s, but it's your call.

3) I'm a bit different, and have different needs, but I am probably going to use mine for a couple of bins of cutoffs. It seems that's the hardest thing for me to find good spots for. All the tools will pretty much have a home.

4) Depends on the size of your shop. I'm thinking of doing 28-30" deep, with either a tray or other hand tool storage in the back (holes for chisels, etc). 24" is too shallow a lot of the time for wrangling things, especially if you're going to assemble things on it.

If you've got adequate room in your router table for accessories, it doesn't make sense to duplicate that. Something you could sit or hang your router off of would be a nice choice, though. Also, consider doing a mat holder like they've done with Woodsmith. Can't find a picture, but basically screw the mat into your end, then you can flip it onto the table when you need it and you always know where it is. I'll be incorporating this.

[dbhost]

I was thinking something along those lines. Like a cabinet door with room to store my KM12VCs since they get used at the bench, then drawers for the router accessories, maybe a plane till, and a drawer for measuring / marking items... Except at the end where that work happens is my clamshell cabinet, with those items sand the router goodies... And the clamshell gives me easy access...

Hmmm... More to ponder...

Maybe a double door cabinet, with one side slotted / divided for my pneumatic tools. With the exception of the framing nailer, I use all of them at the workbench...

[cwsmith]

Over the years, I've never had a decent work bench, using everything from just a few 2 x 6's glued and screwed, to those Stanley poly folding benches. A few months ago, my son bought me that oak bench from Harbor Freight. Nice bench and sturdy enough for my uses, but it's given me some thoughts on what might be "better".

So first off, you're 2 ft x 6 ft bench top sounds like an ideal size, depending of course on the space you have and the work you do. My HF bench is 20 x 60 inches and although adequate enough, I can see that an extra foot in length would serve well. The extra width for me would be nice, even if it's only that extra four inches... but, I think I'd also like a "sunken", shelf-like space on the back side of the bench to keep the tools that I'm using inprocess. (I see this on some of the big expensive woodworking benches.)

The HF bench has four shallow drawers under the bench, as well as a bottom storage shelf that runs the full length of the bench. The drawers don't pull out very far, but have enough space that I can keep all my chisels in one, the two planes and sharpening stones in another, my verniers and other measuring devices in the third, along with some extra bench pegs, brush, etc. in the fourth. Some of this might better be on the wall, but my bench sits in outward toward the middle of the floor.

The drawers are nice to keep those tools handy, yet protected from the dust. And, the shelf serves well for keeping my bench mat (protection for the oak top when I want to avoid scratch or a project from sliding around. I also keep my wood parallel clamps there.

My bench has only one end vise. Nice when using the "dogs" to hold stock in place, but when working a long edge, I really need a front vise of some kind.

In any case, woodworking has it's needs and a bench addressing your particular projects and work style may differ a bit from mind. So, just thought I'd throw a few of "my" considerations out there.

I hope this is helpful,

CWS

[chopnhack]

DB, have you read Chris Schwartz's book on Benches? Very enlightening reading that will answer many questions for you as well as make you ask yourself some more! Good luck with your design. I am still somewhat partial to the 21st century workbench by Rob Lang. Between him and Chris, they both agree that anything much more than 24" wide is too wide. Just think why kitchen counters are only 24" ;-)

[LarryG]

+1 on reading (and re-reading, and re-re-reading) one or both of Chris Schwarz's books on workbenches. His first book provides a good basic overview and shows you how to build two different designs. His second covers much of the same ground and, being newer, adds to and expands on the material from the first title. Both are worth having but if I could have only one, it'd be the second.

Don't build a bench without first reading Schwarz. Don't.

He has far more wisdom to offer than I can possibly cover here, but some of his key points that pertain to your questions are:

1. SYP is an excellent material for building workbenches, but don't use 2x4s for anything -- they're too gnarly. Instead, buy 2x10s or 2x12s and rip them to the needed widths. Make the top full thickness for it's full length and width -- no aprons, no underslung drawers.

2B. and 3. Base design: Schwarz makes strong, sensible arguments against incorporating storage into a workbench, although he does find a lower shelf useful. If the bench must have cabinet-like storage, it must be carefully designed to create as little interference as possible. The legs (or at minimum, the front legs) must be flush to the front end of the top, in order to make the bench best fulfill its job of being a three-dimensional clamping surface.

3. Workbench size: the longer, the better; not too wide (24" max, perhaps less); the more mass, the better.

Vises are a function of personal preference and work habits. Schwarz lays out excellent explanations of the various types to use, and where they should go, to suit various woodworking tasks and tooling.

BTW although he does a lot of hand work, Schwarz is also a heavy power-tool user, and virtually all of the same characteristics that make for a first-class hand tool bench work every bit as well for a power tool-heavy shop.

One more time:

Don't build a bench without first reading Schwarz. Don't.

[dbhost]

Point taken. I need to check my local Library to see if his books are there... Sorry CS... I need the funds to donate to BT3Central! (and support my family...)

Actually aside from Mass, and the fact I am unhappy with the plywood top on the FWW workbench, not to mention I hate the joinery that is used on it. I am pretty happy with the overall design / size of the thing. I would have thought a 30" depth would keep stuff from spilling over the sides...

Yeah, on the SYP thing... I am not planning on going directly with 2x4s... But rather ripping 2x12s for my application...

[pelligrini]

My bench ended up being 30x73. While I read Chris' first book, and many, many other magazine articles I went with a wider top. I had a light duty 2'x4' bench for a while. I didn't like the 24" depth. I have my bench installed against the wall and I hardly ever move it away from the wall. I like the 30" depth as it keeps my work away from the wall and the pegboard cabinet doors above the bench. If I were able to work around the whole bench a narrower one might be in order, but I doubt it.

Not using 4x4s wouldn't be a bad thing. I've hardly ever seen decent ones. Using laminated 2x material can also lead to some easily constructed mortise and tenon base joints. My legs ended up being 5x5 on the left and 7x5 on the right.

I'd construct the base with stringers close to the floor. Any shelving, cabinetry, drawers etc. would be done after. Build a good base, then whatever storage type used can be flexible and integrated into the bench.